Florence, Italy

Italy is a beautiful country, especially throughout the Tuscany area. I had a very good time in Florence and mostly due to the great people I met at the hostel I was staying at. It was so comfortable and the staff were so great I felt like I was at home rather than a hostel. I have especially been enjoying the cappuccinos throughout Italy and it is so great waking up with a solid Italian breakfast waiting for you and amazing cappuccinos. I do not think I will ever be able to order a cappuccino in America again. There is no comparison.

Florence is very beautiful with gardens on the outskirts of the center and churches every
where. I climbed the dome of the Duomo which consisted of over 460 steps to overlook the city of Florence. It was very beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed the fresh air. I also went to the Museo de Academia which contains Michelangelo's David Statue and beautiful art from many artists.

On my last day in Florence I decided to take a day tour through the country side of Tuscany which was a 40 minute drive from the center of Florence. This tour was the highlight of my Euro trip as I learned how to ride a horse and went horseback ridding for two hours through rolling hills, fields, vine yards, sunflower fields and the woods. It was so amazing as I have always wanted to go horseback ridding. The horse I rode was so beautiful and her name was Nadir. After the ridding we took a break for some freshly picked grapes and drinks (I had cappuccino of course) before visiting a medieval castle from the 13th century for lunch and wine tasting.

Before heading to the castle we stopped at a vine yard to walk around and enjoy the view of the castle from a distance for pictures, taste some of the finest grapes in the world and enjoy the fragrance from the herbs naturally growing such as lavender, rosemary, sage and bay leaf.

The lunch was so great and I can honestly say it was the best Italian food I have ever had. We started off with bread and extra virgin olive oil from the olive trees in Tuscany followed by salad, a sampler plate of 3 different pastas and dessert. All throughout the meal we were brought 4 different Tuscany wines to taste, one of them which was claimed to be the best wine in the world. I know I have not had much experience in wine tasting but it was amazing and lives up it its reputation.

We were giving some time to walk around, enjoy the view of the country side and take pictures before heading back to Florence where I caught my train to Rome.